The COVID-19 TV Bingeing Guide
In the spirit of selfless civic duty, I have spent the last few years watching an unhealthy amount of TV, just so that one day I can offer you this menu of binge-watching, to be enjoyed while sitting at home in your fetid undergarments.
To qualify for my personal🥇GOLD LIST🥇, these series need to fulfill the following subjective criteria:
I’ve watched them fully,
In recent years,
And I recommend them from start to finish.
🔹 30 Rock
(2006-2014, 7 seasons. Lovable goofiness).
🔸 After Life
(2019-Present, 1 season. Am not a Gervais fan, but this is a sublime piece of work).
🔹 Arrested Development
(2003-2019, 5 seasons. Arch humour with great running gags).
🔸 Billy on the Street
(2011-2017, 5 seasons. Rudeness, elevated to an art form).
🔹 Bojack Horseman
(2014-2020, 6 seasons. Dark comedy about an amoral misanthrope way past his prime. Relatable).
🔸 Breaking Bad
(2008-2013, 5 seasons. Crime, cancer and an incredible character arc).
🔹 Broadchurch
(2013-2017, 3 seasons. High suspense plus Olivia Coleman equals brilliance).
🔸 Chernobyl
(2019, 1 season. Bleak and catastrophic masterpiece).
🔹 The Crown
(2016-Present, 3 seasons. The royalty, in a highly watchable historical soap opera).
🔸 Curb Your Enthusiasm
(2010-Present, 10 seasons. Cringeworthy farcical nothingness).
🔹 Dead To Me
(2019-Present, 1 season. Deftly-executed gallows humour).
🔸 Derry Girls
(2018-Present, 2 seasons. Irreverent Northern-Irish black comedy with a massive heart).
🔹 Downtown Abbey
(2010-2015, 6 seasons. Like watching 50 hours of Gosford Park).
🔸 Fleabag
(2016-2019, 2 seasons. If you haven’t watched it yet, just do it. That is all).
🔹 Game of Thrones
(2011-2019, 8 seasons. Epic storytelling. The first fantasy TV series I ever genuinely liked).
🔸 The Good Place
(2016-2020, 4 seasons. Starts as a high-concept comedy and turns into so much more).
🔹 Grace & Frankie
(2015-Present, 6 seasons. Light and frothy comedy, redeemed by its charm and honesty).
🔸 The Great British Bake-Off
(2010-Present, 10 seasons. Pure calorific escapism).
🔹 The Kominsky Method
(2018-Present, 2 seasons. Poignant and understated masterclass in comedy acting).
🔸 Mad Men
(2007-2015, 7 seasons. The high watermark of drama depicting 60s sex and cynicism).
🔹 The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
(2017-Present, 3 seasons. A perfect period piece portraying comedy chutzpah in the 50s).
🔸 Orange is the New Black
(2013-2019, 6 seasons. Prison comedy-drama which dips in the middle, but nails the ending).
🔹 Ozark
(2017-Present, 3 seasons. Surprisingly gripping redneck narco crime thriller).
🔸 Parks and Recreation
(2009-2015, 7 seasons. Smart sitcom silliness).
🔹 Queer Eye
(2018-Present, 5 seasons. I know my emotions are being manipulated, but I don’t care).
🔸 Rick & Morty
(2013-Present, 5 seasons. Original, creative, snarky, puerile genius).
🔹 Rupaul’s Drag Race
(2009-Present, 12 seasons. OTT reality show showcasing OTT talent).
🔸 Russian Doll
(2019-Present, 1 season. Dark, druggy, mysterious version of Groundhog Day).
🔹 Sex Education
(2019-Present, 2 seasons. Comedy, drama, teenage angst and Gillian Anderson).
🔸 Schitt’s Creek
(2015-2020, 6 seasons. Starts absurd. Turns endearing. Ends up “simply the best”).
🔹 Sherlock
(2010-2017, 4 seasons. What happens when quality writing, acting and production coincide).
🔸 Stranger Things
(2016-Present, 3 seasons. I don’t usually watch horror or sci-fi. So these guys must be doing something right).
🔹 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
(2015-2019, 4 seasons. Odd. Hilarious).
🔸 Veep
(2012-2019, 7 seasons. An uncannily authentic portrayal of U.S. politics. Oh wait sorry it’s supposed to be a satirical comedy).
🔹 The West Wing
(1999-2006, 7 seasons. Brilliant, smart, moving, idealistic, political nirvana).
🔸 The Wire
(2002-2008, 5 seasons. A drama that takes its time to explore the intersection of politics, society and crime).
Please show me yours. (I mean your gold lists, not your undergarments).
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